Signs of hope as Tories dig deep to rebuild and renew

THURSDAY night was a brutal verdict on Keir Starmer's leadership. Remarkably, Labour has performed even worse than in 2021 when Starmer reportedly had to be talked down from resigning as Leader of the Opposition.

- By Kevin Hollinrake

Last year's general election was a heavy defeat for the Conservatives, and it's no surprise that, less than a year on, we're still seeing tough results. We're under no illusions: there's much work to do to prove that our party is changing under a new generation of leadership. We are only at the beginning of a long-term plan to rebuild, renew, and regain your trust. But there is a way to go yet.

Thursday night was hard. Hundreds of dedicated Conservative councillors who have fought tirelessly to deliver better services for lower taxes for their communities lost their seats.

That's never easy. And we always knew it would be difficult following a strong showing in the 2021 locals.

Yet there were signs of hope.

The election of Paul Bristow as the new Conservative Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough was a major win taking a key mayoralty from Labour. He will be a strong local champion, committed to our values: lower taxes, better public services, and a smaller, smarter state.

Let's be clear: there is only one Conservative Party.